Powder container



June 25, 1968 A. DAROT POWDER CONTAINER Filed July 22, 1966 INVE TOR A l/6! 54w? receptacle.

' 3,389,847 POWDER CONTAINER r V .Alice Darot, Paris, France, assignor to Prodults de Beaute-Parfums .IeandAveze 1 1 v Filed July 22, 1966, Ser, No. 567,143 6 Claims. (Cl. 229-9) U OF THE DISCLOSURE V A powder container having a drawer portion having a United States Patent O ce bowl shaped powder receptacle, an insert portion adapted to receive said bowl shaped receptacle'and a box portion adapted to receive said insert portion. A cover portion adaptable to slidably receive and frictionally surround said drawer portion, permits said drawer to be withdrawn horizontally to provide This invention "relates to a container and more particularly to a cosmetic powder box. ll rese'ntly known boxes suitable for cosmetic powder usually'take the form of container portion having'a hollow therein for storing the powder, and a lid portion enclosing 'and tightly fitting with the container portion sidewalls. In such presently'known powder boxes, in order to open the box, it isnecessary to lift the lid portion in the vertical direction to separate the lid portion from the container portion. Because the lid portion is closely fitting with the container portion, when the lid portion is lifted there is created a vertical suction force, in the space between the upper lid portion and lower container portion, which causes the powder in the container portion to'spill and scatter outside of the container and create a cloud of powder. Although such scattering of the contents of the conventional powder container can be lessened by very slowly lifting the upper lid portion, such undesirable effects are not completely avoided.

Such presently knownpowder containers are further undesirable because they are diflicult to manipulate, requiring the use of both hands to open the container.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a cosmetic powder box whichis easily opened, and when so opened avoids the spilling and scattering of the powder contents outside'of the container.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cosmetic powder container comprising a drawer portion having a receptacle for containing cosmetic powder, and a cover portion adaptable to slideably receive and frictionally surround the drawer portion, permitting the drawer portion to be withdrawn horizontally to permit access to the powder receptacle. p

The cover portion comprises a pair of oppositely facing peripheral sidewalls, a pair of oppositely facing top and bottom peripheral walls, and a rear peripheral wall, with the front edges of the cover portion top, bottom and side peripheral walls defining a substantially rectangular opening for slideably receiving the drawer portion, wherein the vertical dimension of the opening is substantially less than its horizontal dimension.

7 The drawer portion has a pair of oppositely facing side walls, a pair of oppositely facing front and rear walls, a bottom wall, and a top surface, with the drawer front wall being substantially coterminous at its lower end with the front edge of the drawer bottom wall. The drawer side access to said bowl shaped powder 3,389,847 Patented June 25, 1968 walls are in slidable frictional engagement with the periph erally surrounding cover side walls and the drawer bottom wall is in slidable frictional engagement with the cover bottom wall.

Thedrawer front wall extends in the vertical direction beyond'the upper edge of the drawer side walls, there by providing a stop to limit the extent of the inward movement of the drawer portion in the cover portion.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and features thereof may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows, in perspective, the cover portion and the drawer portion of the powder box of the present invention in the disassembled condition.

FIG. 2 shows in perspective, an exploded view of the component parts of the drawer portion, with the insert portion thereof being shown in partial section.

FIG. 3 isa sectional view of the drawer portion taken along the plane 3-3. V Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a drawer type cosmetic powder box 10 comprising a cover portion 12 substantially in the shape of a parallelepiped and a drawer portion 14 adaptable for horizontal slideable insertion in cover portion 12. I

The drawer portion 14, as shown in detail in FIG. 2, comprises a bowl shaped container 16 containing the face powder 18, a box shaped insert 2.0 for receiving bowl 16 and a box container 22 for receiving insert 20.

Insert 20 has first and second pairs of oppositely facing front and rear walls 24 and 26, and sidewalls 28 and 30. The upper surface 32 of insert 20, is substantially fiat at its peripheral portions and has a centrally located bowl shaped well 34 to conformably receive bowl container.16. Insert 20 has a pair of oppositely spaced recesses 36 and 38 shaped to receive a pair of digits to thereby permit bowl container 16 to be grasped by a pair of digits to facilitate the lifting and insertion of container 16 into .and out of insert well 34.

Cover sleeve portion 12 comprises a pair of oppositely facing side walls 58 and 60, a rear wall 62, and oppositely facing top and bottom walls 54 and 64. Rear wall 62 has a centrally located aperture 63 therein having a dimension suitable for the insertiontherethrough of a digit to push drawer 14 out of cover portion 12, as hereinafter described. The front edges of top andbottom walls 54 and 64, and sidewalls 58 and thus define a substantially rectangular opening 56 suitable to receive drawer portion 14 as hereinafter described.

1 Container portion 22 has first and second pairs of oppositely facing walls, front and rear walls 40 and 42, and sidewalls 44 and 46 respectively and a bottom wall 47 which supports the lower peripheral edge of walls 24, 26, 28 and 30. The lower edge 50 of front wall 48 is substantially coterminous with the front edge of bottom wall 47 with front wall 48 having an upwardly extending flange portion 52, such that the top edge of front 48 is substantially flush with the top surface of topv wall 54 of cover portion 12.

Accordingly, walls 42, 44 and 46 have a vertical height dimension slightly less than the vertical dimension of opening 56, and back wall 46 has a horizontal width dimension slightly less than the width dimension of opening 56 to facilitate easy insertion of container portion 22, in the direction shown, into opening 56 while providing a closely fitting engagement of drawer portion 14 with cover portion 12.

When it is desired to close the powder box, drawer portion 14 is horizontally slideably inserted through opening 56 until flange portion 52 of front wall 48 engages the front edge 66 of top wall 54. Thus, flange portion SZ acts as a stop to limit the inward movement of drawer portion 14 into cover portion 12.

As depicted in the drawings, in cover portion 12, the vertical dimension of said walls 58 and 60 is substantially less than the horizontal width dimension of top and bottom surfaces 54 and 64 respectively.

When it is desired to open the powder box, by withdrawing drawer portion 14, a finger is inserted in aperture 63 and applied against rear wall 26 of insert 20, to push drawer portion 14 slightly outward through aperture 64. Front. wall 48 may then be grasped at its upper and lower edges and pulled completely out of cover portion 12. When drawer portion 14 is withdrawn as described above, there is created a small suction force in the direction of the outward movement of drawer portion 14. This withdrawal suction force, however, is minimized by virtue of aperture 63, which acting as an exhaust, inhibits the creation of a vacuum in the space in cover portion 12, which is vacated by drawer portion 14 as drawer 14 is withdrawn, the principal location of the withdrawal suction force.

Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, since drawer portion 14 is withdrawn horizontally rather than vertically, the slight withdrawal suction force created by the withdrawing movement, is, accordingly, primarily horizontal rather than vertical. Since the surface of the powder 18 is equilevel, or below the level of surface 32, and slight withdrawal suction force is substantially horizontal, the slight withdrawal suction force creates only a negligibly small disturbance to the powder particles 18. Furthermore, during the above withdrawal action, the surface of the powder 18 is either in substantially close abutment with the inner surface of top wall 54 of cover portion 12 or freely exposed to the air. ln either instance, I

the withdrawal suction force has a minimal effect, since, when the powder particles 18 are in substantial abutment with the inner surface of top wall 54, top wall 54 acts as a cover for powder 18, and when powder container 16 is completely withdrawn from cover portion 12, the withdrawal suction force on the surface of powder 18 is, of course, very small. Similar considerations would apply when drawer portion 14 is inserted into cover portion 12, except that the compression force creates an air movement from the interior of cover portion 12 out of aperture 63.

- The advantages of the horizontally withdrawing box constructed in accordance with the present invention, may be best appreciated by comparison with the vertically withdrawing prior art powder boxes. In such prior' art powder boxes, when the lid portion is lifted there is created an upward vertical suction force in the space between the upper lid portion and the lower container portion, which tends to lift the powder particles into the space thus created. There is no adequate means for damping this vertical suction force during the withdrawal action, and, accordingly, this vertical suction force is substantially preserved during the course of the withdrawal action, causing the powder particles to be sucked up into the space between the lid and container portions to be thereafter scattered when the lid is completely removed. Similar considerations would apply during the closure action, with the exception that the downward movement of the lid creates a downward compressive force which tends to scatter the powder particles into the space between the lid and container portions.

It is recognized that the vertical suction force created in priorart powder boxes can be minimizedbyyery slowly withdrawing the lid portion allowing the vertical suction force to dissipate, by allowing the pressurized air to escape via the spaces between the frictionally engaging side walls of the lid and container portions respectively. It will be appreciated, however, that to require such careful and slow withdrawal is undesirable and that even with such slow withdrawal, the disturbance to the powder particles is substantially greater than that present in the case of the novel powder box constructed in accordance with the present inventiorn 1 a t While there has been shown a particular-embodiment of the presentinvention, itwill be understood that it is not wished tobe limited thereto, since modifications can be made both in'shape of the cover and drawer portions as well as the powder receptacle of the novel powder box disclosed herein, and it is contemplated in the appended claims'to cover any such modification as falls within the spirit and scope of the present invention What is claimed as new and desired to be secured .by US. Letters Patent is:

'1. A cosmetic powder container comprising a drawer portion having a bowl shaped receptacle for cosmetic powder; and a cover portion adaptable to slidably receive and frictionally surround said drawer portion, permitting said drawer portion to be withdrawn horizontally to p o vide access to said bowl shaped powder receptacle, said cover portion comprising a pair of oppositely facing peripheral sidewalls, a pair of oppositely facing top and bottom peripheral walls, and a rear peripheral wall; the front edges of said cover portion top, bottom and side peripheral walls defining an'opening for slidably receiving said drawer portion; said drawer portion having an insert portion; and a box portion for conformably receiving said insert portion; said insert portion having a pair of oppositely facing substantially rectangular sidewalls, a mind oppositely facing substantially rectangular front and rear walls, 'a top surface having a centrally located bowl shaped well therein to conformably receive said bowl shaped cosmetic powder receptacle, and ,a pair of oppositely facing recesses extending from said well to enable said powder receptacle to "be gripped. by a pair of digits, the remainder of said insert top surface being substantially flat; said box portion comprising a pair of oppositely facing substantially rectangular side walls, a pair of oppositely facing'substantially rectangular front and rear walls, and a bottom wall; the top edges of said box portion side walls and said box portion front and rear walls defining a substantially rectangular opening for receiving said insert portion in releasable assembly, whereby the lower edges of said insert side walls and front and rear walls respectively rest on said box portion bottom wall, with said insert side walls and front and rear walls being in frictional engagement with the inside surfaces of said box portion front and side walls, whereby upon assembly of said insert portion with said box portion, said substantially flat portion of said insert top surface is in flush abutment with the upper edges of said box portionside and rear walls, said box portion side walls being in slidable frictional engagement with said peripherally surrounding cover side walls, with said drawer bottom wall being in slidable frictionalengagement with said cover peripheral bottom wall, said box portion front wall extending in at least one direction be yond said box portion side walls thereby ,providin'ga stop to limit the extent of inward movement of "said drawer portion insaid cover portion. v 2. A cosmetic powder container as defined in claim], wherein the top edge of said box portion front wall, upon assembly with said cover portion, is in flush abutment with'th'e top surface of said cover portion top wall.

3. A cosmetic powder container asdefined in claim' 1,' wherein the upper rim of said powder receptacle is in flush abutment with the top surface of said substantially flat portion of said insert top wall.

4. A cosmetic powder container as defined in claim 3, wherein the top rim of said powder receptacle is substantially circular.

5. A cosmetic powder container as defined in claim 1, wherein said cover rear wall is formed with an aperture therein of the size suitable for the insertion therethrough of a human digit to enable the withdrawal of said drawer portion from said cover portion and to inhibit the creation of suction force upon withdrawal of said drawer portion and compression force upon insertion thereof.

6. A cosmetic powder container as defined in claim 1, wherein the opening defined by the front edges of said cover portion has a vertical dimension substantially less than its horizontal dimension.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,597,652 8/1926 Kadan 229-52 2,496,619 2 1950 Cunningham 22952 3 ,031,070 4/ 1962 Mulder 229-11 10 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT PESHOCK, Examiner. 

